Mutiny: Primate Appeals To FG To Spare Soldiers Lives

The Primate of Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Most Rev. Nicholas
Okoh, has appealed to the Federal Government to spare the lives of 12
soldiers sentenced to death for mutiny.

Okoh made this appeal on Friday in Abuja while speaking to journalists at
the sidelines of the 2014 Anglican Communicators Conference at St. Mathias
Anglican Church, Zone 3, Wuse.

The soldiers were on September 16, 2014, sentenced to death by a General
Court Marshal of the Nigerian Army for attempting to kill their General
Officer Commanding, Maj-Gen. Ahmed Mohammed, on May 14, 2014 in Maiduguri.

Okoh urged the government to consider the soldiers’ defense and patriotic
service which they had rendered to the nation.

“Military Law is a very strict law; we want to make an appeal to the
Nigerian Army to tamper justice with mercy and spare their lives.

“The soldiers have invested their lives in the defense of the nation; the
government should not only see their errors but should equally see the
good they have done.

“So, it is left for President Goodluck Jonathan to consider that human
beings can make mistakes, and also consider to forgive them,”  he said.

The Primate, however, noted that the war against insurgency had consumed
many people in the country, and cautioned that more should not be added to
the number.

A nine-member military tribunal presided over by Brig-Gen. Chukwuemeka
Okonkwo convicted the soldiers.

Eighteen soldiers were arraigned at the military court and 12 were
sentenced to death by firing squad, one was jailed with hard labour, while
five were set free.